The invention relates to a method for producing a flat prepreg material blank, to a method for producing a substantially shell-shaped, fiber-reinforced and to a production system for carrying out the method.
Flat prepreg material blanks are used as semi-finished products in the forming production of shell-shaped, fiber-reinforced plastic parts. Such fiber-reinforced plastic parts are found in numerous technical fields of application. The field of structural parts of motor vehicles is one example to mention here. Shell-shaped, fiber-reinforced plastic parts are required, for example, for columns, supports, crash elements, seats, or the like.
The prepreg semi-finished products are delivered as rolls or sheets to the particular production system, where they are cut to form a desired prepreg material blank and are subsequently formed and cured.
A prepreg material produced in a continuous procedure typically is used as the starting material for the aforementioned production of fiber-reinforced plastic parts. DE 25 28 356 A1 discloses a known production method based on the continuous production of prepreg material, which, after impregnation of a fibrous material, is cut to form a prepreg material blank.
A disadvantage of the known production method is that its use limits the possibilities for an optimized design for a specific application. For example, application of matrix resin that varies locally cannot be implemented using the known method. In light of this limited adaptability to downstream processes, no advantages are gained by integrating the known prepreg production into a production line for fiber-reinforced plastic parts.
Accordingly, prepreg semi-finished products are currently delivered from the outside to the production lines for producing fiber-reinforced plastic parts. The prepreg semi-finished products are initially stored in complex cooling systems in order to prevent a premature reaction of the matrix resin. The prepreg semi-finished products are typically covered with protective films for the same reason. The cooled storage is cost-intensive and automated handling is complex, in particular due to the use of the protective film.